The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, which manages the state's solid waste disposal system, shut down the home of the famed Trash-o-saurus, a 34-foot-tall replica of a dinosaur made from assorted trash, after falling short of a $100,000 fundraising goal.

Sotoria Montanari, a CRRA spokeswoman, said the authority is aware of the bill and that the museum "was a wonderful facility to teach the younger generation about the environment."

Montanari said the museum's operating budget was between $200,000 and $250,000 a year. But she could not say if CRRA is interested in reopening the facility if money was provided by the state.

Miller and Hoydick could not be reached for comment on the bill, but want the Jurassic garbage-park brought back to life.

A similar effort by state Sen. Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, failed last year when the senator attempted to amend a recycling bill on the Senate floor to fund the museum through tipping fees, money paid to dispose of garbage

Despite an opinion by the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis that costs "would be minimal to each member municipality," Kelly's amendment failed.

"The Garbage Museum in Stratford represents an opportunity for our community and our state to invest in educating our children about the value of reducing, reusing and recycling the waste products in our lives," Kelly said at the time.

In 2010, the museum provided educational services to 30,708 adults and children through visits and outreach programs.

Despite adding a $2 admission fee and securing donations from area towns, the lack of CRRA funding forced closure of the Honeyspot road facility.

The various exhibits about recycling and other trash-related issues, and the Trash-o-saurus -- which represents the amount of trash a person throws away each year -- remain behind locked doors.